D&D, and by extension much of the OSR, has a problem. It must innovate, or be considered "old fashioned" and yet it must also adhere to a certain set of expectations of be considered too far away from the concept. For many 4e was a step too far, for others 3e was.
Wizards of the Coast gets to chart out the next version of D&D once more and they will have to make some changes to game to keep it financially viable.
Boing Boing has an interesting point of view on this in a new article by Peter Bebergal.
http://boingboing.net/2013/05/06/old-school-dungeons-dragons.html
You can read that article and come to your own conclusions and thoughts. I want to focus on one bit of it though; is the OSR D&D Fundamentalism?
Certainly a lot of us are here because we think "the old ways are best" or even out nostalgia.
I have been pretty much focused on B/X D&D over the last year or so myself. Part of it is fun, part of it is nostalgia for sure.
Do we though as a group eschew innovation for an "old school" feel? Or more to the point, a "proper old school" feel. For example I like drama points in my games. It gives the characters a chance to do heroic things, it works great in other games AND I can find examples of their use in the various "Appendix N" games. Honestly, read the John Carter books and tell me he wasn't burning drama points when fighting the Green Martians, Thakrs or First Born in various books.
Sometimes using ability checks are nice, but so are skills. Multiclassing in 3e was far better than anything before (or after). Swords & Wizardry has some nice ideas above and beyond OD&D. I have seen add-ons that allow skills, feats and other such "improvements" to older games.
I suppose the question lies in what sort of experience you want to have. If that is the case I have had some fantastic "D&D experiences" using WitchCraft and Ghosts of Albion, while having some games where I felt I was nothing more than a ref with some (unnamed) versions of the Grand Old Game.
I do know this. Wizards will have to update D&D. It is going to be impossible to make it all things to all players. Look at all the various retro-clone rules we have now. We can't even as a group agree on what cloned version we like the best and we represent a tiny, mostly homogeneous, demographic.
True, all these games are really 95% or better compatible out of the box and 100% compatible with a little imagination.
What do you think?
Wizards of the Coast gets to chart out the next version of D&D once more and they will have to make some changes to game to keep it financially viable.
Boing Boing has an interesting point of view on this in a new article by Peter Bebergal.
http://boingboing.net/2013/05/06/old-school-dungeons-dragons.html
You can read that article and come to your own conclusions and thoughts. I want to focus on one bit of it though; is the OSR D&D Fundamentalism?
Certainly a lot of us are here because we think "the old ways are best" or even out nostalgia.
I have been pretty much focused on B/X D&D over the last year or so myself. Part of it is fun, part of it is nostalgia for sure.
Do we though as a group eschew innovation for an "old school" feel? Or more to the point, a "proper old school" feel. For example I like drama points in my games. It gives the characters a chance to do heroic things, it works great in other games AND I can find examples of their use in the various "Appendix N" games. Honestly, read the John Carter books and tell me he wasn't burning drama points when fighting the Green Martians, Thakrs or First Born in various books.
Sometimes using ability checks are nice, but so are skills. Multiclassing in 3e was far better than anything before (or after). Swords & Wizardry has some nice ideas above and beyond OD&D. I have seen add-ons that allow skills, feats and other such "improvements" to older games.
I suppose the question lies in what sort of experience you want to have. If that is the case I have had some fantastic "D&D experiences" using WitchCraft and Ghosts of Albion, while having some games where I felt I was nothing more than a ref with some (unnamed) versions of the Grand Old Game.
I do know this. Wizards will have to update D&D. It is going to be impossible to make it all things to all players. Look at all the various retro-clone rules we have now. We can't even as a group agree on what cloned version we like the best and we represent a tiny, mostly homogeneous, demographic.
True, all these games are really 95% or better compatible out of the box and 100% compatible with a little imagination.
What do you think?